James Gurney

This daily weblog by Dinotopia creator James Gurney is for illustrators, plein-air painters, sketchers, comic artists, animators, art students, and writers. You'll find practical studio tips, insights into the making of the Dinotopia books, and first-hand reports from art schools and museums.

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or by email:gurneyjourney (at) gmail.comSorry, I can't give personal art advice or portfolio reviews. If you can, it's best to ask art questions in the blog comments.

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All images and text are copyright 2015 James Gurney and/or their respective owners. Dinotopia is a registered trademark of James Gurney. For use of text or images in traditional print media or for any commercial licensing rights, please email me for permission.

However, you can quote images or text without asking permission on your educational or non-commercial blog, website, or Facebook page as long as you give me credit and provide a link back. Students and teachers can also quote images or text for their non-commercial school activity. It's also OK to do an artistic copy of my paintings as a study exercise without asking permission.

Friday, October 9, 2009

I’ve spent the last several days devouring James Gurney’s new book Imaginative Realism: How to Paint What Doesn’t Exist.

It’s a treasure. Using samples from his illustrious career, he takes the reader through his thought process and explains principles both basic (setting up an efficient studio, thumbnail sketches) and advanced (shapewelding, counterchange, flagging the head).

Read it once and flip back through to see where he’s applied these principles. You’ll also start seeing your work with new eyes, which is the mark of a great teacher.

Also, I'm very grateful to John Fleskes, the publisher of so many wonderful book titles on classic illustrators for his vote of confidence:

What I enjoy about Gurney’s work is that he knows his fundamentals and knows how to paint a believable realistic figure in fantasy, historical, and real world situations. And, as is testament in Imaginative Realism, he has no trouble breaking down the process in a simple and easy to understand approach.

9 comments:

I received my copy of "Imaginative Realism" the other day, and I am so impressed. First, let me thank you for shipping it before my check cleared. I appreciate the faith. I loved the original sketch in the front. The quality of the binding, paper, printing, and clarity of the pictures is outstanding, and worth far more than its price. The amount of information is staggering, and I've already spent several hours poring over its contents, thanks to the flu and a couple of sick days I had to take. I especially like the tone of the writing; always down-to-earth, helpful, friendly, and inspiring. Never high-brow, condescending, or self-promoting. At 224 pages it is certainly not short, but I would have been willing to read much more. Well done, a true home run. THANK YOU!

I was at your lectures at LAAFA the other day. Thank you for coming out, the lectures I was able to stay for were great they were both highly informative and entertaining as well! I have been reading your book non-stop since I picked it up the other day and it was worth it alone if it only had the section on composition! Definitely one of the best art books I have ever read. Thank you!-Jeff

Hi JG,I knew this book would be good, but it exceeded my expectations with even more illustrations, examples, and tips than I bargained for! Great to see lots of stuff in addition to the blog material. Mucho satisfaction. Cheers,Mark